Christmas and Peppermint
by TaiLover13
Summary: A Taiora Christmas fic. ;)


  
  


Snow was falling softly and the sounds of impending Christmas were everywhere: jingling sleigh bells, the many Santas in windows, and Frank Sinatra crooning softly from open store doors. 

Yet there was one person on the street not carrying bags of gifts and laughing, talking excitedly and singing along with the carols. 

It was Tai Kamiyo, and he was sitting miserably on a bench beneath a big display of elves and reindeer, not caring about the snow collecting on the folds of his jacket. 

He opened his wallet and took out a small picture of the Digidestined, posing together for a group reunion, seven years after they had left the Digiworld for good. He ran his fingers softly over the smiling faces; Joe (now sporting a doctor's assistant badge) Mimi (fashion designer renowned) Matt (posing with his brother TK, who was now holding the arm of Kari, Tai's little sister) Izzy (degree in advanced computer science) himself, and Sora. 

Sora: the reason he was miserable; he remembered when he had fallen in love with her. Christmas, that year.. But when he had tried to tell her so, she turned pale and hadn't answered him. 

He hadn't seen her since. 

Tai's heart ached for her touch again. He wished he had never said anything. Sora and he had been friends since they were little, and he could have at least kept that friendship if he hadn't gone and ruined it..

_Why_ had he done that? he cursed himself. What made him just suddenly confess it like that?

Because, he reminded himself, she was beautiful and smart, cute and brave, wonderful and her touch could melt him .. maybe it was better that she at least knew the truth..

___________________________* 

He remembered that day so well... the original Digidestined were having their reunion. He'd been having fun, finding out what everyone had done with their lives, finding out who'd married, who'd gotten great jobs, who had kept in touch. 

"So what've you done, Tai?" Izzy had been saying to him. "What have you got to say for yourself after seven years?"

Just then, Sora had walked by. He blinked and stared at her. It was a while since he'd seen her; he'd managed to forget his love, at least for a while .. But seeing her brought it all back, in force .. 

Izzy was still waiting, a creeping grin now on his face. 

"Well?" he said.

"I've gone and fallen in love," Tai whispered, half to himself and half to Izzy. 

Izzy grinned at him. "Go on," he said, giving Tai a push. "I bet she's been waiting, too."

____________________________*

If only I'd never listened to Izzy, Tai thought miserably. If only I'd stayed and kept my big mouth shut. 

But the words, coupled with the shock of seeing the beautiful Sora again, made him dizzy and he wasn't thinking about what he was doing. 

____________________________*

He'd caught up with her near the Christmas tree, close to but not under the mistletoe. 

"Sora.." he said, breathing in the scent of peppermint like candy canes that followed her around. 

She turned, gracefully, with a sweep of her auburn hair. "Hi, Tai!" she said, starting in surprise. "It's nice to see you! It's been a while."

"I know," Tai murmured, dazzled by the lights in her eyes. "Too long. I missed you, Sora."

Sora blushed, and grinned crookedly at him. "You are such a charmer, Tai Kamiyo, I don't know what to do with you."

Tai reached forward and took her hand. "I mean it, Sora. I've missed you so much and .." he blurted it out, "Sora, I love you."

____________________________*

Sora had stared at him, her face pale.. She hadn't said anything. Tai had come to his senses, and stuttered something, and had run off. They hadn't seen each other since. 

He buried his head in his hands, wishing something could have been different..

And then he heard crunching bootsteps in the snow; someone was walking towards him. He caught a whiff of peppermint. 

He raised his head, not daring to believe .. 

And there she was, in a fuzzy white turtleneck, with a red-and-white striped scarf thrown over her shoulder. Snow sparkles drifted around her like magic as her face broke into a huge grin. 

She pulled him to his feet and kissed him, right there on the snowy sidewalk on Christmas Eve. It was bliss, joy, better than all of Tai's dreams. 

"I'm sorry, Tai," she whispered into his ear, smoothing his hair. "I never realized either how much I needed you.."

"It's all right," Tai managed, his voice dry. How he loved her .. it was heaven to be in her arms. 

Snow fell on his nose and Sora, with a laugh, blew it gently off. 

"Merry Christmas, Tai Kamiyo," Sora said.

____________________________*


End file.
